NFL Player News

Bradford has separated himself from his challengers for the starting quarterback job, Chase Daniel and Carson Wentz, the Intelligencer reports.

Bradford already had a slight edge in the competition, but head coach Doug Pederson said Bradford strengthened his hold on the job during organized team activities.

Tannehill will be allowed to change plays at the line of scrimmage this season, Alain Poupart of Dolphins.com reports.

This will allow Tannehill to audible out of a play that the defense is prepared for and possibly put the Dolphins offense in a better chance to succeed. Tannehill has been studying the offense of Adam Gase as much as possible this spring so that he is up and running by the time training camp starts in July.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak referred to Siemian as "the sleeper" in Denver's quarterback competition, the Denver Post reports.

A 2015 seventh-round draft pick out of Northwestern, Siemian is one of three Denver quarterbacks getting first-team snaps at OTAs, joining veteran Mark Sanchez and first-round rookie Paxton Lynch. Though clearly the underdog, Siemian might benefit from having a year in Gary Kubiak's system under his belt, which can't be said for Sanchez or Lynch. Siemian didn't show much promise during his college career, posting a 27:24 TD:INT with -23 rushing yards on 142 career attempts.

Savage is fully healthy after missing all of last season due to a shoulder injury, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Savage reportedly threw the ball well during the Texans' OTAs this week, which marked his first team practices since landing on injured reserve with a severe shoulder sprain last year. While offseason signing Brock Osweiler's four-year, $72 million contract certainly makes him Houston's starter going forward, Savage's return to health figures to allow him to compete with Brandon Weeden for primary backup duties this season.

Mariota has only gained about five pounds this offseason, TitansInsider.com reports.

A previous report said Mariota played at 210 pounds as a rookie, but it turns out he was actually closer to 220. He now checks in at 225, hoping that the slight increase will help him stay healthy for 16 games. Despite finishing with a surprisingly low total of 34 carries (for 252 yards and 2 TDs) in 12 appearances, Mariota took a lot of hits last season while playing behind a shaky offensive line. The Titans responded by heavily investing in their offense during the offseason, notably adding RB DeMarco Murray, WR Rishard Matthews and C Ben Jones, then using early draft picks to select OT Jack Conklin (eighth overall) and RB Derrick Henry (45th). The team clearly plans to run the ball much more often than it did last season, but any drop in Mariota's passing volume should be offset by improved efficiency, increased rushing production and/or a bump in scoring opportunities. It would also help his cause if the team were generally more competitive, as last season's lack of carries may have partially resulted from the Titans' desire to avoid a serious injury to their franchise centerpiece during a clear rebuilding year. With the roster now decent enough to at least dream of a playoff appearance, Mariota should get to deploy his 4.52 speed a bit more often.

Lynch spent time with the first-team offense during the team period of OTAs, the team's official site reports

The fact that 2015 seventh-rounder Trevor Siemian got first dibs on reps with Mark Sanchez out in the team period shows that Denver is willing to ease Lynch in. Still, there's encouragement in reports that Lynch's arm slung balls through a stiff wind and impressed defensive teammates. Head coach Gary Kubiak said after practice that Lynch is still adjusting to the pro game, particularly with footwork. Once he acclimates, his big arm and athleticism could push him toward the top of the depth chart.

Mariota now weighs 225 pounds after playing at around 210 for most of his rookie season, Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com reports.

Mariota weighed 222 at the 2015 combine, but he apparently dropped some pounds during training camp and/or the regular season. Weight hasn't been a big issue for him one way or the other, so he likely just added a few pounds to help with durability. He'll still be one of the fastest (4.52 40) quarterbacks in the NFL, but the Titans have maintained that they mostly want him to focus on improving his footwork and accuracy from the pocket. While that's obviously a necessary part of the position, it was surprising to see Mariota attempt just 34 rushes (for 252 yards and 2 TDs) in 12 games last season. He should be a bit more active on the ground in his sophomore campaign, though it's also possible some of his pass attempts from last year will turn into handoffs to DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. The Titans also added WR Rishard Matthews, and they hope to get much more out of both Dorial Green-Beckham and Kendall Wright; the former was a rookie last season and the latter was bogged down by injuries.

Winston will have added responsibilities within the offense in his sophomore season according to quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian, Joe Kania of the team's official site reports. "I think with experience and a more firm grasp of the offense, comes added responsibilities," Bajakian said. "I don't think there is anything earth-shattering about that and it's not like we're letting him call plays or anything. He's at a point now where he can handle more on his plate on the mental side of the games."

The 2015 first overall pick handled the transition to the pro game even better than anticipated, setting a franchise rookie passing record with 4,042 yards while also finishing as the fan-voted NFL Rookie of the Year. However, he was essentially in perpetual "learn on the job" mode throughout the season, given that he served as the starter from Week 1. The invaluable experience he gained by playing every offensive snap in his first year has prepared him for an added workload in Year 2, according to Bajakian. The coach added that Winston's proficiency in the offense opens up the opportunity for the second-year quarterback to focus on the nuances of his position, such as footwork, release, and accuracy. Winston and the Bucs kick off OTAs on Monday.

With Mark Sanchez sidelined with a thumb injury, there will be more reps to be had for Lynch, 9NEWS reports.

Sanchez's injury is to his non-throwing hand, so his absence should be short-lived and thus kept in perspective. Still, any extra exposure Lynch gets to Denver's offense and against NFL-level competition closes his learning gap. Sanchez's primary advantage over Lynch is experience, and the beginning of OTAs will give the rookie a small chance to catch up.

Bradford participated in the Eagles' first OTAs of the season Tuesday, CSN Philly's Dave Zangaro reports.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said before practice Tuesday that Bradford is "the guy," according to Zangaro's report. Despite the Eagles' aggressive move in this year's Draft to move up and draft fellow quarterback Carson Wentz, it appears Bradford will enter training camp as the team's primary option at quarterback. If he plays well enough to earn the job, he'll have 16 games lined up ahead of him to prove he's worth a long-term contract in the near future, either from the Eagles or another team.